Stagg Bowl 2014: Wisconsin-Whitewater vs. Mount Union Score, Recap and More

In what has become an annual event, Wisconsin-Whitewater and Mount Union put on one of the most memorable Stagg Bowl contests ever with the Warhawks capturing their second consecutive Division III national championship in a 43-34 win. 

This is the ninth time since 2005 these two teams have played for the national title. In the previous eight meetings, Wisconsin-Whitewater came out on top five times, including last year's 52-14 thrashing. This year was more competitive, though the final result ended up being the same. 

If there was going to be a loss for Wisconsin-Whitewater, it was going to happen in this game, as the ESPN Stats & Info department pointed out:

Offense was expected to be prevalent throughout the game, as these were two of the highest scoring teams in the country.

Per NCAA.com, Mount Union led the nation with 60.3 points per game, which makes Wisconsin-Whitewater's 39.9 mark look pedestrian. The two teams combined for 1,069 yards and 54 first downs on Friday. 

Warhawks head coach Lance Leipold manned the sidelines for the final time, as he's set to take over at Buffalo after the season. The 50-year-old talked about his emotions coming into this game during a press conference, via Art Kabelowsky of The Wisconsin State Journal:

"

“It’s like I joined the senior class,” Leipold said. “It’s been very emotional, and it will continue to be. This is where I grew up. … This place will always be special.”

...

“It’s not about my last game. It’s about my guys, and the chance they have to play a 15th game. I hope you had a chance to see it doesn’t just happen.”

"

It's safe to say Leipold couldn't have picked a better way to go out, ending his eight-year run at Wisconsin-Whitewater with five undefeated seasons and six national championships. He already made history coming into the game, reaching 100 wins faster than any coach in NCAA history, per ESPN College Football:

As exciting and thrilling as the matchup was, it was also ugly in spots. The two teams combined for seven turnovers, including five by Mount Union. 

Purple Raiders quarterback Kevin Burke was hurt by four interceptions, including a pick-six in the second quarter that gave Wisconsin-Whitewater a 20-7 lead. 

Travis Wilson of WisconsinSports.net noted that Mount Union's halftime deficit was largely due to the inept play by Burke:

Another area of the game that will have Mount Union looking back wondering "what if" is penalties. Kabelowsky noted on Twitter the Purple Raiders had two touchdowns taken away due to holding penalties:

Mount Union had to settle for a field goal on that particular drive, which made the score 40-34 with 9.5 minutes to play. That meant a defensive stop was needed to give the offense a chance, but it never came. 

Wisconsin-Whitewater put together its best drive of the game after getting the ball back, holding the ball for more than six minutes to take a 43-34 lead thanks to a a Lake Bachar field goal. 

Dennis Moore was the hero for the Warhawks, recording 120 receiving yards on just three catches. The biggest play of the game was a 75-yard touchdown on a screen pass from Matt Behrendt that gave them a 37-31 lead, via the Mount Union Twitter:

The dagger came when Burke threw his fourth interception as Mount Union was driving with under two minutes to play, hoping to give the team a chance to take the lead with an onside kick. Wisconsin-Whitewater was able to run out the clock to complete a 15-0 season.